I'm just about to leave for London where I'll be attending the Modular 2003 conference, and performing at the concert there. I'll be performing an improvised piece called Impromptu. At the end of this message, I'm including a link to an mp3 file of a rehearsal I did last night. This will be very similar to what I'll play in London, and later at a lecture/concert in Trondheim, Norway. I hope you like it.

Impromptu, the patch

This is very basic synthesizer music. This recording was made in real time. The instrumentation is simple, one Clavia Nord Modular synthesizer. With this piece, I take on the challenge of using the most simple instrumentation. Throughout the performance, I play only one patch. This consists of just two oscillators, a bandpass filter and an envelope generator. There are no delays, reverbs - not even an LFO. (There is a compressor to keep the volume levels under control and a phase shifter network to add spacialization to what would otherwise be a monophonic signal.)

The two oscillators are hooked up in a scheme called "cross modulation" that was first shown to me by David Berry in the last century. Each oscillator has frequency modulation inputs from itself and from its partner oscillator. There is a tuning knob and keyboard control as well. This "cross modulation" system creates very rich and complex modulation products which are very difficult to control. It is certainly impossible to predict. This makes the challenge of performance quite exciting. This extremely simple electronic voice is surprisingly expressive.

Click on the following link (128 Kbs streaming MP3) for Impromptu9-6-03, named in honor of the date it was performed.

I'd be grateful for any comments you might care to post as replies to this message.

Impromptu-9-6-03.mp3

Description:

Impromptu 9-6-2003

This is something I worked up for the Modular 2003 Conference in London. It was a great festival, and I met a bunch of people from the old Nord Modular mailing list that are now active contributors to electro-music.com.

I like this minimalistic approach of a piece based on a single patch.
I have problems calling this experiment "Music".
I would prefer "Soundscape" or "The single patch sonic experiment".
When I think about music I think of something more rewarding for my ears than an intellectual game like this one.
Do you want an example of inspiring experimental music I love?
"Beauty in the beast" by Wendy Carlos
(http://www.wendycarlos.com/+bitb.html)
Howard, I do not mean to disrespect you _________________homepage - blog - forum - youtube

Quote:

Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex - Frank Zappa

Last edited by seraph on Mon Sep 08, 2003 11:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

I guess I am more in favour of this one than you are, Carlo. To me soundscapes are music, but I guess you already have guessed . The synth can be an expressive solo instrument and pieces like these are quite important in the big picture. On the other hand.. there are lotsa pieces written for acoustical instruments that musically resembles this one.

BTW: That music by Brian Williams and Hecate.. used for that flash animation .. you know.. what do you think about that one?

( Hmm.. strikes me as slightly funny that I am in fact a great fan of music like this.. even pretty more abstract stuff.. and still have that label as being a tonal romantic.. sigh.. )

I guess I am more in favour of this one than you are, Carlo. To me soundscapes are music, but I guess you already have guessed .

What I am trying to say is that, I think, Howard considerations about a piece like this one were more toward a clever use of a single patch than aesthetical (only he can say if I am wrong)

elektro80 wrote:

BTW: That music by Brian Williams and Hecate.. used for that flash animation .. you know.. what do you think about that one?

I think that the use of music to underline images is completely another story. Other considerations are involved but when you take a piece of music by itself it should stand on its own. This is a very subjective matter, for example, I remember that when I was a teenager I could listen to the wildest free jazz for hours without the blink of an eye. Now I can not stand stuff like that for more than 10ms (I think I am getting old)

elektro80 wrote:

( Hmm.. strikes me as slightly funny that I am in fact a great fan of music like this.. even pretty more abstract stuff.. and still have that label as being a tonal romantic.. sigh.. )

I bet you could be my shrink. Basking in red Ferraris, as we know you italians always are, qualifies for some high quality mental health. Hmm.. matter is.. do I really need a shrink? -Or do I need a red Ferrari? Both?

I bet you could be my shrink. Basking in red Ferraris, as we know you italians always are, qualifies for some high quality mental health. Hmm.. matter is.. do I really need a shrink? -Or do I need a red Ferrari? Both?

yours is truly a vivid imagination. your virtual shrink suggests the famous spaghetti-therapy. send me a big check and I'll tell what's all about

OK.. this italian guy I know defines scary on a + - scale with rush hour in Rome as the mid point on the scale.. So .. in your opinion.. this is more scary.. or less scary than being a pedestrian during rush hour in Rome?

I found the demon redirects more scary than being out of gas in the middle of Finland.. with 80 kilometers to the next gas station.. at the middle of the night. I am not sure how that computes on the "rush hour in Rome " scale though.

I think Howard is going to get mad because from his Improptu piece we have strayed from the point. Sorry Howard, anyway.....

elektro80 wrote:

OK.. this italian guy I know defines scary on a + - scale with rush hour in Rome as the mid point on the scale.. So .. in your opinion.. this is more scary.. or less scary than being a pedestrian during rush hour in Rome?

Well, it depends if you are a healthy Italian able to dodge cars running randomly (and fast) in every directions or if you are a fearful old tourist not used to that madness. Of course, I am from Florence where everybody respects the law so I can not tell you much about that southener usage.

elektro80 wrote:

I found the demon redirects more scary than being out of gas in the middle of Finland.. with 80 kilometers to the next gas station.. at the middle of the night. I am not sure how that computes on the "rush hour in Rome " scale though.

But! Scary it is!

I would be much more FRIGHTENED being in the middle of nowhere, in Finland, out of gas, at the middle of the night and below freezing than in the rush hour in Rome any day of the year, for sure _________________homepage - blog - forum - youtube

Quote:

Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex - Frank Zappa

Hmm... I have kinda lost that elk-attck mpeg.. sorry.. I hope I will find it. Elks are mean SOBs.

Right! Today Howard held his little lecture.. a very interesting one. Then he performed the Impromtu. This one was awesome. -And the audience loved it. Later .. at 20.00 Howard performed again.. no lecture this time.. the concert was a big hit. Then Kim Cascone performed.. and after a short break some local young musicians came with some weird gear and did a lenghty jam session with Howard. Great fun. I took some pictures.. but... you know me.. I use an old rusty 35 mm SLR.. and BW film.. so.. first I have to get this one developed.. then scanned.. etc etc.. but.. the pictures willl get here.. eventually..
Someone borrowed Howard´s digital camera and I guess the digital pix will get here within a few days..

I am amazed by the analog feel of the sounds made by the Nord Modular. One obvious difference is that the range of operation seems to be pretty larger in the Nord Modular compared with a typical analog modular. Due to what such a crossmodulation patch actually does to traditional semiconductor circuitry.. it would break up into more feedback and distortion than what the nord Modular does.. which is just great.. But... the Nord has the same glitchy spluttering and freaky fluttering etc etc as an analog synth would have. Hmm.. at the end of the performance Howard managed to create some Tim Blake like analog synth noises,.. remember those bass riff scratches from the Crystal Machine album? These noises suddenly appeared from the Nord.. Awesome.

Kim Cascone performed using an Apple iBook and a piece of MAX software. The software used a library of prerecorded soundfiles.. and played these in a random sequence. The rest of the MAX patch was basically a basic synth and Kim Cascone used filters and modulation for soundshaping. The performance was quite enjoyable and he matched what Howard did .. so this whole concert ended up like a very consistent experience. Perhaps the obvious comparison to Kim Cascone would be Xenakis.. this sounded like Xenakis playing Lustmord using a foodprocessor. Great fun. And all this amazing noise from a white cute little Apple iBook... ?!!! Someone tell Steve Jobs!

You know, the same could be said about the use of any instrument.. "a clever use of" whatever... This patch is an instrument in itself and it has its own logic. Sure, this was music and Howard did a great performance.

You know, the same could be said about the use of any instrument.. "a clever use of" whatever... This patch is an instrument in itself and it has its own logic. Sure, this was music and Howard did a great performance.

Sometimes music sounds better when performed live than when heard on tape, CD etc. because of its gestural contents.
Could that be Howard's case?_________________homepage - blog - forum - youtube

Quote:

Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex - Frank Zappa

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